Congregate ALL The Geeks!

Every year Trish and I make a special pilgrimage. Late in January, as the sun reaches the perfect arc across the northern sky, the geeks begin to stir.

They come slowly at first, then in groups of 2 or 3, some leaving during the day, and some stealing away in the dead of night. Slowly, they trudge towards their goal, with a single mindedness known only to the most zealous lemmings. Ragged an worn, they all arrive at a set location, to celebrate the one special occasion that has brought them together: Nerdvana.

This ragged group of intrepid geeks gather together in Canmore every year, not only to spend time basking in the presence of each other, but also to perform the most sacred rite known to man: the playing of the board game.

The mountain of board games grows as people arrive...

Ryley concentrating, carefully planning his next move.

This is our second year coming. Our friend, Jasen Robillard, who considers himself a geek, yet grows far to epic a beard to actually be considered one, invites us up for the weekend. He books a block of hotel and allows us to board game away for 3 days straight. There is an atmosphere of openness here, and pretty much anyone can sit down and enjoy a game with anyone they want, whether you know them or not.

Last year we came up hardly knowing anyone. Some of the first people we met were Owen and Sharon, who invited us to sit with them at supper last year. They kinda showed us the ropes here, and we had a great time getting to know them.

This year I wanted to search them out first thing, since we only managed to get one game with them last year. I was able to get a game of Puerto Rico (special edition!) in with Owen this year, and caught up on all the stuff that had happened in between. I only see him once a year.

Owen on the left, (his wife Sharon behind his head), Greg (from Burn ALL The Guests) in front,
Jim back right, and Ryley on the right edge.

In addition to regular board gaming,  Ryley is also a comedian at the table.
And yes,  that's the renowned shocking roulette in the corner.
It has been a big hit here with all the avid gamers...

We're thoroughly enjoying it up here, Canmore is beautiful. So long as we're invited, we plan to make a yearly trip up!

Also, I am gaming by myself this weekend, as Trish has way too much homework to do. Lame.